1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a patient bed, in particular for a magnetic resonance apparatus, of the type having at least one socket for accepting a plug of a device (in particular a local coil) to be arranged at the patient bed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Primarily for patient beds used in magnetic resonance apparatuses, it is necessary to use special local coils for image acquisition of specific body regions. These local coils are typically arranged at the patient bed and are appropriately positioned relative to the patient. Signals originating from the examination or measurement volume are acquired by the local coil, and these signals are provided by signal conductors to the control and processing device of the magnetic resonance apparatus for image processing. For this purpose, a socket into which a plug is inserted is provided at the bed, and the coil signals are transferred to the conductor connections of the control and processing device conductor installed at the bed. After the end of the examination the local coil is removed again, by pulling the plug out of the socket.
A very good contacting between the plug and socket is typically required because very weak signals are normally acquired by the local coil, which is why in known plug-socket combinations the plug (which has a number of separate contacts) is very firmly accommodated in the socket contacts provided in identical number. While the plugging movement (in which the plug is, for example, placed vertically into the socket from above) is still relatively simple to effect by medical technology personnel, the unplugging is very labor-intensive and consequently difficult due to the very firm accommodation of the plug. The unplugging frequently is accomplished by jiggling somewhat at the plug or twisting the plug in order to loosen it, which can lead to deformation of the contacts if undertaken frequently. In order to simplify the unplugging it is known to provide a manually operated ejection aid that is located at a protective lid covering the socket, the protective lid being opened only when a plug is to be inserted. Two lever arms are provided at one end of the protective lid, these lever arms engaging below two lateral segments of the inserted plug in the opened position. For unplugging, the cover lid is further pivoted so that the lever arms strike the plug from below and push it out from the socket. It sometimes occurs that one or both arms break off due to the strong loading of the lever arms, or that the cover lid is over-pressured and is consequently ripped from its pivot bearing.